This time he's not standing - rather lying, partially buried in a stone pile at the takt Gallery in Friedrichshain. Christian Schmidt-Chemnitzer, born 1968, is best known to Berliners as one who stands for hours without moving. In May 2005 he stood for six hours on a ladder at the busy corner of Schoenhauser Allee and Danziger Strasse. For years, he has frequently balanced on an ice block, barefoot and dressed in a diaper, with a small ice block held in each hand. Schmidt-Chemnitzer has toured the world with this ice block performance, ever since it's debut in Berlin in 1996 when he stood completely nude for over 100 minutes.
Christian Schmidt-Chemnitzer irritates the viewer through the apparent stagnancy of his performances, through his motionless presence. This time he gives his lack of motion a name: I sleep very well. Yet the artist has not made it comfortable for himself. One can barely imagine that he can actually sleep well in a stone pile. Is he really sleeping? We are left to ponder the many associations brought to mind by seeing a person buried in a pile of stones.
Text: Henriette Boehmert-Leske